With More Flights And A Hotel On The Way, Nashville Airport Starts On A New Parking Garage

The Nashville airport's new parking garage is the first step in a massive expansion plan.

The Nashville airport broke ground today on the first project in a major expansion: building a 2,000-space parking garage and a new roadway, which will cost $122 million in total. The parking garage itself will cost $85 million.

Over the next several years, it also plans to build an onsite hotel and international arrivals building, relocate roads to accommodate traffic, and expand ticketing and baggage claims.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, board chair Bobby Joslin noted the importance of the presentation of the airport.

“It is vital that BNA remains accessible, easy to navigate and welcoming to the millions and millions of people that we have each year that come to our great city,” he said.

The airport has already seen a dramatic increase in traffic, and its expansion comes in anticipation of more. Traffic set an all-time passenger record in 2016, and it's expected to increase from 13 million to more than 20 million within 20 years.

The parking and transportation center is expected to open by summer 2018.